These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Singapore researchers develop blood test for cancer treatment and detection
Researchers in Singapore have developed a blood test which will not only allow doctors to determine the effectiveness of cancer treatment within 24 hours, but also detect the disease in annual check-ups. Targeted treatment for cancer, such as immunotherapy, blocks the abnormal growth of cancerous cells by attacking specific molecules which instruct them to grow and spread. But, to evaluate its effectiveness, clinicians often have to rely on imaging techniques such as MRI and CT scans, which are costly, and can only be determined weeks after the treatment, said Assistant Professor Shao Huilin from the National University of Singapore's Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech). Alternatively, a tissue biopsy, which is an invasive procedure, is carried out, she said. Prof Shao and her team have now developed ExoScope, which is able to accurately detect cancer drug effectiveness within a day through the use of a platform to identify extracellular vesicles which circulate in the blood. Extracellular vesicles are secreted by cancer cells and carry a variety of "cargo" inherited from their parent cells, including proteins, DNA, RNA and even drugs. When the cancer treatment is successful, it means that the targeted cancer drug has attached to the cancer cell and interfered with its tumour growth, and so the treated cell will release extracellular vesicles, containing the drug, into the bloodstream. – The Straits Times
CucukMyPress: Pejuang calls for immediate vaccination of media personnel
The government should expedite the Covid-19 vaccination process for media personnel as they are part of the front liners. Pejuang information chief Ulya Aqamah Husamudin said the lack of vaccination dates set for the media fraternity was surprising considering on average, the government programmes or events to address the Covid-19 pandemic required physical attendance from the media. Despite the undetermined vaccination dates, Ulya said the media continued to provide coverage on the pandemic, exposing themselves to the risk of contracting the virus. "The Ministers need to remember, media practitioners often set aside personal safety on duty in the field, including filming at the hospital as well as at mortuaries and funerals of Covid-19 victims. "Media practitioners also have families and when compared to other sectors, photographers and videographers are assigned outdoors almost daily to capture the real situation of Covid-19 relentlessly to remind Malaysians of the pandemic thus achieving herd immunity. "Do not delay. The media is also at the forefront. Help them simplify their duties as a channel of information to the people," he said in a statement. Ulya said the media has been promised the vaccination several times but yet to receive their appointments even after the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP) was well underway. "On April 18, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah asked his own government to expedite the vaccination of media practitioners as they are also at the forefront. And later said the media will be inoculated in the second phase of the NIP. "The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced on April 28 that 1,500 media personnel would be vaccinated on May 3. "Unfortunately, until June 7, two months after the second phase of the NIP had begun, it turns out that the two ministers responsible for vaccinating media practitioners have failed to keep their promises," he said. – New Straits Times
Nationwide vaccination drive underway
People flocked to vaccination centres across the country on Monday as the government kicked off its long-delayed campaign to vaccinate the population against the novel coronavirus. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at Bang Sue Grand Station that all eligible people would be vaccinated. The new railway hub is one of many places outside hospitals and health offices designated as vaccination centres to avoid congestion and speed up the inoculation process in Bangkok. Outside the capital, some shopping centres and sports facilities have also been designated as vaccination centres for local residents. Bangkok's new transport centre was chosen as a symbolic place for the vaccination kick-off. Two types of vaccine are being distributed - Sinovac from China and AstraZeneca produced in Thailand. The government plans to vaccinate 50 million people, about 70% of entire population, by the end of this year to build herd immunity to Covid-19 disease. The vaccines each require two doses, with the first shots due to be completed by the end of September. The vaccination campaign has not gone smoothly to date, with vaccine distribution initially focusing on areas in crisis and provinces hit hardest by the epidemic, meaning some provinces and hospitals received fewer doses than expected. Nakhon Ratchasima governor Kobchai Boonorana said the province would probably receive fewer doses this month than the number of people registered for vaccination, but more would be supplied afterwards. The prime minister said the number of people applying for inoculation exceeded the supply, but more vaccine would be distributed. – Bangkok Post
Duterte sees ’light at end of the tunnel’ as more vaccines arrive in PH
President Rodrigo Duterte expressed optimism in ending the COVID-19 pandemic as more vaccines arrive in the Philippines and as the government starts vaccinating economic front liners or those under the A4 priority group. “We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel as the vaccine shipments have arrived, and have started to arrive in bulk,” Duterte said in a taped message aired Monday during the symbolic vaccination of workers under the A4 category. “With the start of our mass vaccination, the A4 priority category is workers in both public and private sector will have an added layer of protection against the disease,” he added. The President also reminded those who have already been vaccinated to continue adhering to minimum health protocols. “To my dear kababayans, let us keep in mind that vaccination is the only way forward for us to overcome this pandemic,” Duterte said. “But we must also remember that getting vaccinated is not the only solution. We must continue to observe minimum public health standards by wearing a mask, washing our hands, and observing social distancing.” The vaccination of individuals under the A4 priority group will first focus in the so-called NCR Plus 8 – Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Batangas, Cebu, and Davao. – INQUIRER.net
Viet Nam's national COVID-19 vaccine fund launched
A ceremony was held on Saturday evening to mark the debut of a national COVID-19 vaccine fund. Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the fund was established to mobilise social resources for the purchase and import of vaccines as well as for research, development and production of domestic vaccines. Though Viet Nam has been one of the most successful countries in the world at containing the COVID-19 pandemic as evidenced by low infection and death rates, the pandemic is still evolving with new strains first found in India and the UK behind the recent surge of domestic cases in Viet Nam. In order to return life to normal, the Party and State set the goal to administer free vaccines to all people to soon achieve herd immunity, considering it a fundamental, long-term, strategic and decisive solution to get rid of the pandemic, he said. The Government leader said that the consensus of the people is key to beat the pandemic and return to a normal, peaceful, and safe life. He urged subordinate levels to promptly create favourable conditions for all individuals and organisations to make contributions to the fund. As of 8pm on June 5, the fund, which was approved by the Government on May 26, has received VND1.036 trillion (US$45 million). Speaking at the launch ceremony, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc said the Ministry of Finance, which is in charge of the vaccine fund, has established a management board for the fund at the State Treasury and opened a bank account to receive support from individuals and organisations inside and outside the country. The ministry on June 2 issued a circular to guide the operation, management and use of the fund. "The fund is a precious and important resource for the country to fight the pandemic and continue socio-economic development. We have the responsibility to manage the fund tightly, correctly and transparently and use the fund effectively and economically to serve pandemic prevention and control,” he said. The Ministry of Finance committed to publicise the amount of money received transparently as well as the Ministry of Health’s final settlement after each vaccination programme using the fund, he said. Viet Nam’s vaccine fund initiative has received applause from international organisations in the country. – Viet Nam News
Read My Lips: ‘NO CURFEW’, PP Governor dispels rumours
Phnom Penh City Hall has assured that it will not re-impose a curfew in the capital although positive Covid-19 cases are still between 600 and 700 cases per day in the Kingdom. Phnom Penh Governor Khuong Sreng told Khmer Times yesterday that he has not considered imposing a curfew again and rejected rumours that City Hall has put the capital under one again. Sreng said there was no reason for Phnom Penh authorities to impose a curfew again, because he has observed that almost 100 percent of the population wear masks and follow the Ministry of Health’s measures. “I do not think it is necessary to re-impose the curfew, because now people are more aware of how to protect themselves from Covid-19 under the guidance of the government and the Ministry of Health,” Sreng said. He added, however, that the Phnom Penh authorities were still working hard to disseminate and implement various legal measures to force residents to comply with City Hall’s instructions. “Although Phnom Penh has had some relief from the spread of Covid-19, as the governor of Phnom Penh, I would like to call on all citizens to implement measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and join to help end the spread caused by the February 20 Community Event,” he said. – Khmer Times
Six village administrators in Kalay resign as regime officials are targeted in deadly attacks
Six village administrators from Sagaing Region’s Kalay Township resigned in a joint letter on Thursday for what they said were “family matters.” The six administrators were from Kyaungtaik village tract, a stronghold of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and an area that has seen few anti-coup activities since the army’s February 1 attempted takeover of government. The administrators had been in their positions since being appointed in 2016. They were from the villages of Kyaungtaik, Thahpan Aing, Ahrwar, Nyaungtaw, Thinbawpin, Setaw-U, and sent a resignation letter to the Kalay Township Administrative Council – the local chapter of the coup regime – on Thursday. “As far as I know, administrators from the entire village tract resigned,” a resident told Myanmar Now. “There are many USDP or army supporters in that village tract, so their resignations at this time are a little bit strange. It is impossible that they were threatened.” Several administrators nationwide who were appointed by the regime or who have not resigned from their posts since the military coup have recently been shot dead or attacked. They have been accused of acting as collaborators with or informants for the junta and tipping off regime officials with information about pro-democracy activities and the whereabouts of the activists. “Many people here support the army. Young people who are anti-military have moved elsewhere because living here is dangerous for them. Anti-coup protests could not be properly organised here, either,” another resident of Kyaungtaik village tract said. Neither the six administrators nor the Kalay Township Administrative Council could be reached for comments. The administrator of Mauklin village tract, about 1.6 km north of Kyaungtaik, also resigned on June 1, according to area residents. A ward administrator in Nan Mar town in Kachin State’s Mohnyin Township also resigned on Friday after another former administrator from the area was recently killed. – Myanmar NOW
Indonesia receives another 313,100 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine
The Indonesian government has received an addition of 313,100 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca, spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said. The vaccine arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang City, Banten Province, on Saturday at 18.00 p.m. local time, she said when contacted on Sunday. With the addition of 313,100 doses, Indonesia has received a total of 92.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, both in ready-to use and bulk forms. "The arrival of AstraZeneca vaccine from the Covax Facility is the result of the hard work of the Indonesian Government, which since October 2020 has been seeking multilateral cooperation for COVID-19 Covax, a global initiative aimed at gaining equal access to the COVID-19 vaccine," she said. "Through the GAVI Covax Advance Market Commitment mechanism, Indonesia gets a COVID-19 vaccine quota at three to 20 percent of its population," she added. She said the availability of the vaccine was crucial in the effort to accelerate the national vaccination program. Overall, Indonesia has received a total of three million doses of finished vaccine from Sinovac, 6.7 million doses of finished vaccine from AstraZeneca, one million doses of finished vaccine from Sinopharm, and 81.5 million doses of semi-finished vaccine from Sinovac. Tarmizi emphasized that the government continues to improve vaccination services to reach an average of one million people per day starting in June 2021, in order to build herd immunity soon. To that end, the government has implemented a national vaccination program for health workers, public service workers, and the elderly as well as people aged 50 years and above. As of June 4, 2021, 17.3 million people have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 11.1 million of them have been injected with the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. In the meantime, the independent vaccination program has also been conducted and as of May 30, 2021, it has reached 49 thousand workers from 36 business entities or legal entities. – AntaraNews.Com